You are going from 620 feet above sea level to about 3300 feet above sea level so be aware there will be a little less oxygen in the air you breathe in Lubbock compared to Dallas.

On the other hand, that means a little less air density to pierce through on the bike... (Just as a psychological boost)

The drier air will mean your sweat will work better in the heat as it will evaporate faster and carry more heat off with it.

Yes, water consumption will need to be high. I understand they have bottle pick-ups every 10 miles. I'm not all that experienced with those.

I think I'm going to add a rear cage to give me a little more carrying capacity. I have an aero drink holder but I've never used it...never figured out how to manage it with my computer. Where do you guys put your computer using the aerobottles?

Thanks for the input RV. Yes, in my typical pre-race fashion (and often life in general) I tend to make things (like water bottle hand ups) much more complicated than they actually are. lol.

Which reminds me...I need to write down (and post where I can see it frequently) the two things I can control about BSLT:

1. my nutrition and hydration
2. my attitude

I'm getting excited. This will be my first WTC event and I hear it's a great one!

I have trained in the Lubbock area my entire life and the heat is a little factor…but what really gets you is the wind. I biked this morning at 10:30 and the temp. was in the low 90’s and the wind was 20+ s-sw with gust up to 35. I drank three water bottles during the slow 1 hour ride. The wind is not a cool breeze it is hot and you feel like you are in an oven. I freeze water bottles every night before a ride. They usually stay cold for about 30 min then they are warm….so the best advice I can give you is look into the extra water bottle cages. Two full water bottles and the cage only adds 3 lbs. to your bike, but in my opinion is well worth the investment. My training group and I have found that a plan of drinking 6-10oz every 15 min alternating between water and a sport drink of choose works bets for racing in the Panhandle of Texas.

I have never used an aero helmet but I would go with the one that breaths the easiest....The forcast for Sun. is upper 80's to low 90's with winds 10-20 s-sw. Sometimes the wind does not pick up untill after lunch so maybe we will get lucky this year.